I'm not pagan but I was interested in this seasonal cookbook and love any good cookbook, so I was happy to preview a digital ARC. It was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The good -- each month gets its own chapter, with an introduction that covers a paragraph or two about any special dates (Beltane, solstice...) and what's in season in grocery stores in the UK and US. The author makes an effort to include vegan and vegetarian recipes. One of my favorite elements was that she includes a hot drink recipe for each month and some were tasty and creative sounding riffs on hot chocolate and things like that.

The bad -- there are no photos and no nutritional information. The recipes tend towards breads and desserts, with only 2 or 3 main dish meals for each month. These are pretty standard, like soups or egg dishes. There is very little about this cookbook that has to do with paganism or Wicca. There are no recipes that seem spiritual, magical, pagan, etc. They're just her favorite recipes, like she discovered that she likes our American biscuits and sausage gravy so she has a recipe for that. Shrug. It really felt more like a simple seasonal English cookbook for her family, but with not a lot of variety and pretty standard recipes. As mentioned, there are lots of breads and desserts, especially simple cakes and cookies.

From the sounds of it, this author has a large following in her community and they're likely to enjoy the book. The recipes are fine, though the vast majority won't work for my family as they are very heavy on gluten. At the end, she gives tips about using gluten free flour and converting recipes, but she gives these as someone just learning about this herself. These are also not good recipes for anyone following a keto, paleo or low-carb diet, though as mentioned there is a good assortment for vegans and vegetarians.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

I think it is very convenient/practical to have the recipes sorted by month. I also like that there are vegetarian and vegan options. I like the recipes, wich are original and sound delicious ! There are twists on "regular" recipes too, wich is refreshing. Reading the description I was expecting for some recipe to be rituals, or at least the magic properties of ingredients, it is not the case !
Now for some negative points, the design is bland and it really lacks images and/or illustrations. I guess for 10£ it's normal ? (I don't know what are the usual prices for cookbooks in the UK as I am French ^^). It also maybe lack of dishes (there are a lot of desserts and bread recipe, wich is great, but I would have like maybe more healthy meals).
I would recommend the book for the recipes but bare in mind that there are not a lot of complete and healthy lunches for example an that you are buying the book for the recipes and not the design wich is unappealing.
I'm happy to have discovered R. Patterson and her blog !

"I'm reading an advanced copy of Rachel's new book 'Practically Pagan - An Alternative Guide to Cooking' right now. Even though I'm not Pagan, I'm really enjoying it. My practice as a gnostic can benefit.The book releases on Amazon June 1, 2020 published by Moon Books. If you're interested in her writing check it out on Amazon. She has a facebook page (Rachel Patterson Books) as well as a blog through Patheos Pagan or her website www.rachelpatterson.co.uk. My book review will be on my goodreads page within the week: https://www.goodreads.com/aprilsbookishlife
Thank you Rachel Patterson and Moon Books!
#rachelpattersonbooks #moonbooks #netgalley #practicallypagananalternativeguidetocooking
#witchybookshelf #witchesofinstagram "

I'm sharing this right now on my bookstagram page @aprilsbookishlife and goodreads as well as my facebook group The Broom Closet Spiritual Learning Group where I also shared your latest blog post. I'll be slowly working my way through your book this week but I can already tell it's fantastic. Thank you Rachel, Moon Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review it.

The majority of the recipes in this book are for desserts and bread. I was hoping for easy to make dinners.